Thao Nguyen's blend of musical influences is one-of-a-kind. Her mixture of Oriental 12-tones and 4-chord folk-pop progressions is impressive. Her varied use of instruments, tones, and timbres is intriguing. And her stage presence is something that has to be seen to fully understand the eclectic tunes she puts together. The culmination of these factors--a banjo being distorted to sound likeThao Nguyen's blend of musical influences is one-of-a-kind. Her mixture of Oriental 12-tones and 4-chord folk-pop progressions is impressive. Her varied use of instruments, tones, and timbres is intriguing. And her stage presence is something that has to be seen to fully understand the eclectic tunes she puts together. The culmination of these factors--a banjo being distorted to sound like a Chinese zither before breaking out into a half-time electric guitar chorus of 'Holy Roller'--ultimately leaves one's mouth agape, wondering what exactly this is, and why it is so good. While reviewers like DIY might think that Nguyen's album is a mediocre continuation of her sound, to newcomers it is a welcome expansion of their musical mind, and one that prompts a further investigation of Thao Nguyen's extensive repertoire.…Expand

We The Common, the fifth LP offering from San Francisco’s Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, offers us a killer collection of infectious beats, bouncy melodies and smart lyrics that you can’t help but move to.